Fusion Fall
by Jade Nocturna
Summary: Kyrie Sims is a Level 2 Soldier. She can now participate in the fight against Fuse. But Kyrie soon discovers that she holds a dangerous past, and her heart just might be more lethal than any weapon she has. Can Kyrie make sense of her life long enough to defeat Fuse? Or will she end up being her own downfall?
1. Prologue

I am Solider KS16.

Two weeks ago, I woke up in the infirmary on Null Void without any memories of how I had come to be here or who I had been before. I came to learn that a villain named Fuse had invaded our planet and we were in a war against him.

Two weeks ago, I was put into combat training with armor from the academy and a lightning gun.

Two weeks ago, I met fellow Soldiers XW18, MT17, and PZ19. Together, we cornered and defeated one of Fuse's spawns, Fusion Finn. No Level 1 Soldier has ever been able to defeat a Fusion before.

Now the real challenge begins. Level 2 awaits us. And so does Fuse. We must bring him down, no matter what the cost is.

This is my mission.


	2. Chapter One

Providence HQ is a _lot_ different than Null Void. It's full of life. There are trees and running water and actual clouds. Even though I spent a short time there, I remember the barren wasteland we'd called home a few days ago.

PZ19 frowned. "I can see why they call this place the 'Petting Zoo'," he said to us. This place is completely unhygienic, and my scanners say that Fusion Spawns are everywhere." He pushed his glasses further up his nose

MT17 shrugged and pulled her platinum blonde hair up into a high ponytail. A few unruly strands of hair hung around her face. "I guess that's why they needed us here."

"And how long do you suppose we'll actually _be_ here," said XW18 as he slashed his lightning sword through the air. He ducked as if his invisible enemy had thrust forward his sword.

I shushed them as the sound of footsteps reached my ears. "He's here," I told them. We immediately fell in line beside each other and awaited our orders from Rex.

"Welcome to _my_ neck of the woods," said Rex as his arm morphed from a gun to a hand. He looked us over with a somewhat friendly smile. "Guess we're starting to pull them out early from Null Void," he muttered.

Over his earpiece, I heard a voice say, "Hey, Rex. It's Finn. Send the newbs up to meet me, will ya?"

Rex smiled. "Sounds like you already have an assignment, though." He jerked his thumb behind him. "Use that jump pad over there to get to the top of the waterfall. You'll find Finn up there. If you need me for anything, come and find me back here."

We saluted him and walked off into the woods with our weapons readied. I glanced back at the portal. Only a couple of hours ago, I had been a Level 1 Soldier. A lot can happen when you aren't paying attention.

As the newest of the group and a female, I am charged with the task of being the second middle-man in line. My job is to listen out for sounds that may alert us of an enemy, and to keep a good lookout for enemies far away.

Behind me is XW18. His job is to know how to get back to our start position, and be prepared for any attacks that may come from behind. His job and PZ19's job are the hardest. PZ19 is tasked with keeping all of us together. It's a lot harder when there's something attacking us—like the Spawns that he detected in this area. If someone goes missing, he's the one that gets blamed.

MT17 has the easiest job out of all of us. As the first middle-man, she gets to pick off any enemies that I may spot at a distance.

"Stop," PZ18 hissed at us. We may be Soldiers, but we don't talk like them. We haven't been here long enough to know their language.

The Soldiers standing by a launch pad saluted us, and we returned it. "One at a time. When you step up to the launch pad, bend your knees and jump down on the center of the target. While in the air, angle your body in the direction you want to go. When you land, make sure that you are in a crouched position."

We went in the order that we were already in. I've never used a launch pad before. The feeling of being thrown so high into the air wasn't as thrilling as the feeling I experienced as I began to fall back to the ground.

Once in the air, I saw a large monument with a cascade in the middle of it. The building had been concealed by the tops of the trees before. I suspected that the monument was a little more than fifty feet off the ground; I was currently descending from eighty.

I leaned my head forward and aimed for the top of the building. When I got close enough, I outstretched my arms and flipped over myself. My feet hit the rooftop as I landed in the crouched position. I stood up as XW18 dropped down beside me.

"So which one's Finn," MT17 asked as she looked around.

PZ19 pointed at a guy who was standing at the edge of the waterfall. Besides us, he was the only one up here. "If he isn't Finn, I'd be surprised." He led us over to the guy and cleared his throat.

The guy was dressed much differently than every other person we'd seen. I thought Rex had been dressed casually, but this guy made Rex look formal. He had a white hat with bunny ears on his head, a blue T-shirt, shorts, tennis shoes, and a backpack.

"Ready for some _real_ adventure," he asked us with a smile. "I'm Finn. You must be the newbs from Null Void."

I didn't like the word "newbs". It made me feel inexperienced, and I'm anything _but_ that. Still, we learn that we don't argue with people who have a higher rank than us. And despite his appearance, I knew that Finn had a higher rank than me—I had his Nano.

Nanos are miniature copies of Level 5 Soldiers.

He eyed the boys' swords enviously and pulled out his own in comparison. Boys get swords; girls get guns. "Wicked lightning sword! It's totally math! Academy kids get the best prototypes, ya know?"

"Yes," said PZ19 slowly. Obviously he didn't know what to think about higher ranked boy either. "Did you have a mission for us, sir?"

"Well, it's not really a mission. It's more of an orientation, really. I'm just supposed to tell you to head over to the Armory. You'll find a guy named Lance there who will show you around. You should be able to find him pretty easily. He's really tall, kinda moody, and wears dark clothes. Good luck!"

I kept my disappointment from showing on my face. I had hoped that we would come here for something _other_ than more training. I thought that advancing to Level 2 meant that we would get to go on _real_ missions.

I guess not.

PZ19 calculated a route and we set off further into the woods. "I hope that Lance actually _has_ something for us," he grumbled as we reached another building.

We waited to be cleared for entry. Once inside, we found that the entire building was filled with weapons and arsenal—guess that's why they call it the "Armory".

"Not a bad selection of weapons is it," said a boy behind us with dark clothing. His dark hair came down over one of his grey eyes. I wondered if he had been a Soldier once. All the Soldiers have grey eyes. "Talk to me when you get done staring."

"Sir," said PZ19 as we turned around and formed a line. He was probably just as embarrassed as I was to have been caught ogling at the arsenal. "Are you Lance?"

He gave something that should've resembled a nod. "So you're the ones I keep hearing about, huh? I hope you're ready for this. Those Providence amateurs captured Fusion Rex and Fusion Ben for study."

Who captures Fusions for study? Everyone knows that Fusions are too unpredictable to handle in a contained environment.

"Of course, things didn't work out, and now we need to clean things up. Fusion Rex is poisoning his containment area, and Fusion Ben is pumping his containment area full of fusion goo. Go take them out, and get your Rex and Alien X Nanos."

Lance pointed us in the direction of the containment area and sent us off. When we reached that building, a Dexbot Guard met us on the warp pad. "Fusion Rex and Fusion Ben Containment Area: Verifying clearance…Verified. Entrance approved. Caution: Building interior corrupted by Fusion Matter. Initiate warp!"

"Watch your step," PZ19 told us as we readied our weapons. "There's Fusion Matter everywhere."

Stepping in buildup Fusion Matter is dangerous. If it comes in contact with your skin, it can poison you. And if you become infected, you could end up dying. Or worse, you could become a Fusion yourself.

When a human becomes a Fusion, they are classified as Fusion Spawns, giant green blobs that go around trying to infect others. A bite from a Fusion Spawn isn't lethal, though. They carry enough Fusion Matter to poison you, but not enough to turn you into a Fusion. And once they've bitten you, they die immediately. Almost like a bee after it stings you.

A low growl reached my ears. I looked up, in the direction of the growl, just in time to see Fusion Ben before he dropped down on us. "Guys," I cried out as I aimed my weapon and shot it.

Fusion Ben retreated from me and let out a threatening growl. I'm always surprised when I catch sight of how remarkably identical they are to their counterparts. If it weren't for their red eyes, I might not be able to tell them apart.

When Fuse first invaded this planet, he cloned our Level 5 Soldiers in the hopes that this would up his advantage on his side of the war. All they really do is annoy Soldiers like us and cause disturbances in suburban areas. The most annoying thing about them is that when a cloned Fusion dies, they regenerate in a different area.

Fusion Ben danced around us. That's normal when there are two of them—one of them is sent as a distraction.

XW18 and I turned around and kept our backs to Fusion Ben. We knew that our backs were being covered by PZ19 and MT17, who would handle Fusion Ben.

Fusion Rex jumped out of his compound and swiped at me with his mutated hand. I aimed my gun at XW18's sword, causing the weapon to be encased in lightning. As XW18 moved forward, I distracted Fusion Rex by shooting at him with my lightning gun.

He roared at me just as XW18 jammed his sword into Fusion Rex's ribcage. Fusion Rex let out a loud and horrible scream before he dissolved.

I turned just in time to see MT17 lean over Fusion Ben and place a bullet in his forehead. There was no scream from him as he dissolved. Where the Fusions had disappeared, a green computer chip appeared.

XW18 scraped his sword against the ground and looked up at PZ19. "Do you want the honors?"

PZ19 pulled out his NanoCom and inserted the two computer chips. After a moment's pause, eight Nanos appeared—four of Rex and Alien X.

We pulled out our NanoComs and sucked the cute little creatures inside. NanoComs allow us to carry an infinite amount of Nanos by storing the creatures as digital data. It also allows us to call on a Nano quickly.

PZ19 led us outside the containment area and back to Lance at the Armory. He saluted Lance. "We've completed your mission, sir."

Lance gave us a half-smile and crossed his arms. "That's it for your Advanced Training, then."

Advanced Training? They told us that we were going to real missions, not furthering our training. It was smart, really. If we believed that we were in a real mission, we would do better.

He jerked his thumb toward the room behind him. "Talk to Computress to warp to Mt. Neverest for your Graduation. She's standing on a warp platform waiting for you. Once you arrive at Mt. Neverest, she'll teach you about some of the Guides you'll have available to help you in the fight against Fuse."

Lance stopped me as I started to walk out. "Hey. If you guys ever need me, you call me, okay?"

"Yes, sir," I responded dutifully.

He chuckled and released my arm so that I could join my friends. PZ19 was telling a tall, blue, female robot our orders. She stepped off of the warp pad and eyed my group with her chilling blue eyes. I wondered if she thought we were ready for this promotion.

Computress placed her hands behind her back and stood with her back erect. "Congratulations on the promotion. From here, I will direct you to your Guides. Your Guides will then give you missions on how you can do your part in the war."

Finally. I could hardly keep my heart from racing with anticipation.

"As part of your graduation, you have earned the right to replace your title with a new name. Step through the portal after I have given you your name. Soldier PZ19."

PZ19 stepped forward, pushed his glasses up his nose, and fixed his red hair into a clean cut.

"You will now be known as Percival Zigmund. Please step through the warp pad and await further instructions."

Percival smiled back at us and did as he was told.

"Soldier XW18."

XW18 crossed his arms and waited for her to continue.

"You will now be known as Xebec Walker. Please step through the warp pad and await further instructions."

It's a good thing they sent Percival through the portal first. I doubt Xebec would've done as he was told.

"Soldier MT17. You will now be known as Mikka Tomas. Please step through the warp pad and await further instructions."

Mikka saluted Computress and bounced through the warp pad.

"Soldier KS16."

I stepped up to her with wobbling knees. Somehow, I felt even smaller than I already was in front of Computress.

"You will now be known as Kyrie Sims. Please step through the warp pad and await further instructions."

I let out a breath and walked up to the warp pad. I stopped as the sight of Lance standing in the doorway caught my eye. I wondered how many people he'd seen off like me and my friends.

"Please step through the warp pad and await further instructions," said Computress a second time.

I did as I was told this time. I gave one last smile at Lance before I disappeared through the portal. I was prepared for the sick feeling in my stomach this time—last time it'd caught me by surprise, and I'd had to swallow my breakfast back down.

I stepped out of the portal and into a path of blinding sunlight. I was surprised to find that Mt. Neverest was actually an air base. Soldiers of all kinds walked around the base, chatting eagerly.

I found my friends and joined them as we waited for Computress to come through the portal.

"New recruits should speak with each Guide before deciding which one they want to select," said Computress as she came up behind us. "Now that your training is complete, you must choose a Guide to assist. The Guide you select will determine the primary quest you will pursue."

We did our best to stay together in a group. Somehow, we all made it to Ben.

Ben smiled at us. He hadn't changed much since the last time I'd seen him—two weeks ago. He still had his brown hair, green eyes, and watch, but he wasn't wearing the armor I'd seen him in when I'd first arrived to training practice. "I'm not surprised to see you guys here. Honestly, I expected you yesterday."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Right, sorry. I forgot that I have to stick to the script. If we're going to beat the Fusions, we need to understand more about them. If you'd like to help my friends and I uncover this mystery then follow me." He smiled again and gave us a thumbs-up. After his show, he said, "You should probably go and see if you want a different Guide, but if I'd be honored to Guide great recruits like you four."

We left Ben and found a monkey jumping around. "If you pick Mojo to be your guide, I will shower you with precious gifts and things," he cried.

I'd heard that the heroes of the world had needed to band together with a couple of villains, but I hadn't expected one to actually become a possible Guide.

"Fuse thinks he is the greatest of all super villains, and that is where he is wrong, very wrong! Join me and together we will discover a way to beat Fuse himself! Then the world will know who the greatest super villain really is!" He ditched words and began to chatter about like the monkey he was.

We continued around the base until we came to a boy with a black cap on his head. His head was buried in a book of his. He barely glanced up at us as we stopped to listen to what he had to say. "Greetings," he said with a giant grin. "I can see you are heroes of discerning tastes. Perhaps you would allow me to be your Guide?"

Despite the fact that he was reading from a book, he had a lot of emotion in his voice. Ben must've been joking when he said he had to "stick to the script".

"Brave recruits, I've discovered a treasure map I think is quite valuable! Fuse's minions even attempted to steal it right under my nose! Join me so we can uncover the treasure Fuse so obviously desires!"

I was about to ask him what his name was, but a boy with orange hair and glasses came up to us. He reminded me of Percival. "Excuse me, Edd, for the intrusion, but we cannot take any chances!" To us, he said, "You must allow me, Dexter, to Guide you against Fuse."

Xebec crossed his arms. "And why should we do that?"

Dexter looked annoyed with him. "Fuse has begun kidnapping heroes! I've begun work on creating a device that will allow us to track them down. You _must_ join me so we can save them from Fuse's evil grasp!"

Somehow this idea sounded familiar to me. Though I couldn't remember why it was important, the idea _did_ spark interest in me. It didn't seem to do the same for my friends, though.

Percival led us off to the side so that we could speak with each other. "I think it's pretty obvious who we should choose to be our Guide."

Xebec nodded. "With our skills and abilities, we should be allowed to take Fuse down directly. I know he's a villain, but I think Mojo Jojo is our best chance at doing this."

"What," Percival roared. "We need to go with Ben! If we _really_ want to defeat Fuse, we need to understand his tactics. By knowing our enemy, we can defeat our enemy!"

Mikka frowned. "Well, _I_ think that the best way to defeat Fuse is to take control of this treasure of his. We could end the war faster if we just got our hands on it. I say we choose Edd as our Guide."

The three of them argued so loudly that other Soldiers stopped to listen in. We were the best Soldiers the academy had seen in a long time—we needed to start acting like we were.

"Guys," I said firmly, silencing them all. "Maybe we should just split up."

Percival was the first to agree with me. "Kyrie's right. Who knows? Our separation might even lead to a speedier solution."

"Well, with _Kyrie_ on _my_ team, of course it will," said Mikka.

I hate it when people assume. It always causes more problems.

"Kyrie isn't superficial like you, Mikka," said Xebec as he crossed his arms. "She's a woman of action. Kyrie's going with me."

"Kyrie is _also_ a logical person," said Percival as he pushed his glasses up. "She knows the logical thing would be to choose Ben as her Guide. Therefore, it seems that Kyrie will not be on either of your teams, but on mine."

Actually, I can see the logic in all of their choices. But in this case, I have to go with the Guide that _I_ want to choose, not the most logical one, or the one who will take action, or the one who give me treasures.

"Kyrie," said Percival, bringing me back to reality. "Who have you chosen to go with?"

I took a deep breath and said, "I want to help Dexter find the missing heroes. We can't afford to lose any more trained Soldiers."

My friends were silent for a moment. Despite the fact that they had been willing to go _their_ separate ways, I think they were hurt by the fact that I also wanted to go _my_ separate way.

Percival was the first to leave. "It would seem that we have chosen our Guides. I wish you all good luck. Be safe out there." And with that, he left us and went to talk to Ben.

Mikka hugged me and said, "I'll let you know if I see any treasure you might like."

I smiled back at her. "You take care of yourself, Mikka."

She waved back at me before she skipped off to where Edd was.

Xebec shoved his hands into his pockets. "You're really gonna do this on your own," he asked me with his head down.

"I have to. It's the right thing to do."

"And you're sure it has _nothing_ to do with the fact that you've been looking into your past?"

As usual, Xebec can see right through my ruse. "No one seems to know anything about how I came here, or who I was before. Maybe one of these missing heroes can help me fill in the blanks." When they aren't classified as "missing" anymore, that is.

He sighed heavily and scratched his head. "I hope you know what you're doing, Kyrie."

I shrugged. "I have so far."

"Just…don't go looking for trouble, okay? These heroes are missing for reasons, Kyrie."

"I'll be okay. Please take care of yourself, Xebec," I begged him. If any of us shouldn't go _looking_ for trouble, it should be Xebec. He always seems to find it—like the way he found Fusion Finn.

He nodded and gave me a grim smile. "I'll see you around." Xebec turned and disappeared into the crowd.

I took a deep breath. I was actually about to do it. With only two weeks—and one extra day—of training, I was about to go out on my own and succeed at _real_ missions. I turned around and made my way over to Dexter.

"I've chosen you as my Guide," I told him.

He smiled. "Excellent. Your first task is to use that warp pad to travel to Sector V and locate a hero by the name of Blossom. Do anything you can to help out in that area and I will contact you when I discover something."

I nodded.

"You have made the best choice," he told me before he went on with his recruiting speech to other Soldiers.

I walked up to the warp pad and took another deep breath. This was it. From here on, it wasn't just practice. It was real.

And I was ready.


	3. Chapter Two

The beautiful girl floated in front of me with her arms crossed. Her fiery red hair was tied up in a ponytail with a large pink bow. "Dexter says that he wants me to help you out on a special mission. Well, I need to make sure that you know how to handle yourself. Can you show me what you got?"

Wasn't getting up to the KND outpost enough? It wasn't a picnic, trying to climb the chains that kept the base from floating away.

I nodded.

Blossom smiled at me. "You might even get a Nano from this. Fuse took one of my hairbows to make a Fusion Blossom. We gotta stop her before she causes too much havoc."

"Where was she located last?"

Blossom pointed at a school off in the distance. "We thought the school was empty, but it seems like Fusion Blossom is using Pokey Oaks Junior High as her base. Find her lair and take her down. I'll be monitoring you through your NanoCom."

I attached myself to one of the zip lines that led back down to the surface and pushed off. When I was about to reach the end, I swung myself up and landed on the roof of the house closest to the school.

Blossom had been right, the school _did_ look empty.

The doors creaked open, moving open a centimeter at a time. It could move faster, but the wood of the door had grown moldy and soft with Fusion Matter and neglect—if I pushed it harder, I'd probably push right through the door.

Inside, a thick coating of dust and mold coated everything. Dust obscured every surface like dirty snow, save for a few footprints. Dust bunnies the size of bowling balls tumbled towards piled up paper and ruined notebooks.

I stepped tentatively, as there were several dark holes where floorboards had snapped, weak from mold and pressured downwards by the weight of the gigantic dust bunnies. Cobwebs brushed my face as I stepped deeper into the school. Crumbling tiles let in the slightest glimpse of sunlight, breaking the evil darkness of the room.

A shiver rushed down my spine. The stale air left a sickening taste in the pit of my stomach as I passed by old classrooms. Even without the Fusion that awaited me in here, there was definitely something unbelievably spooky about this place.

The scraping sound of a chair drew my attention to the classroom at the end of the hallway. I grabbed my gun and pressed my back against the wall so that I wouldn't be seen. A quick glance inside told me that Fusion Blossom was definitely in there, and I had the upper advantage.

I stepped into the doorway and aimed my gun at her head. Not even a moment later, I pulled the trigger and waited for her to sink to the ground.

Instead, my bullet grazed her nose, and she leapt back in alarm. She howled with rage as she turned her hateful eyes back to me. I aimed my gun and pulled the trigger again.

She ducked out of the way and closed the distance between us in one swift move. Her fingers closed around my neck before I was thrown into the wall of lockers behind me. Through my hazed vision, I saw Fusion Blossom as she took a flying leap at me.

I rolled away from her and found my way back to the classroom. She leapt onto my back and wrestled my gun away from me. I watched it fall underneath what would've been the teacher's desk a long time ago.

She grabbed my hair and pushed my head forward into the desk. Stars danced before me as she spun me around to face her. A blow caught me just underneath my ribcage, sending me to my knees. I was forced into the ground even further as she shoved her elbow down on the base of my neck.

So much for being ready for the real world. Now I know why Blossom sent me on this mission. It _was_ difficult.

But I'd already promised that I would prove myself to her. And I would.

I grabbed Fusion Blossom's ankle and pulled with all of my strength. She fell to the ground, but was only there for a moment. It didn't matter, though. That moment was all I needed to get back up.

I raised my right fist, readying myself for a punch. I let the stinging pain from the cut above my eye and the blood in my mouth transform into anger. The anger that coursed through me infused my arm with strength. I shoved my arm forward into her jaw. I heard a crack and she collapsed. My knuckles whined in protest from the impact, but the thumping of my heart distracted me from it.

Fusion Matter spilled from her mouth, but she spat it out and started to stand up. Her right eye was beginning to swell from my first punch. Before her fist landed, I raised my left leg and rammed my foot into her stomach, launching her into an unfortunate pile of desks.

A rumbling sound told me that she was getting back up. I sank to the floor and scrambled around for my gun. Just as I grabbed my gun, Fusion Blossom grabbed me. She lifted me into the air by my neck and squeezed.

I jammed my weapon into her chest and pulled the trigger. She staggered away from me as the Fusion Matter that formed her heart spilled out of her. She seemed surprised that I had actually managed to kill her.

I was a little surprised too. Fusion Blossom had been much more difficult than the other Fusions I'd had to fight. Still, it was good to practice on a Fusion that wasn't there just for the sake of my promotion.

I grabbed my NanoCom and inserted the computer chip that appeared out of the Fusion Matter.

"This is Blossom," said my NanoCom as Nano Blossom was formed. "Are you all right? Your heart rate was off the charts a moment ago. Numbuh Two said that you must've been under great stress. Did you complete the mission?"

I don't know what she expected my heart rate to be like. Was I supposed to be completely calm after a fight with a Fusion? "My mission was successful. Fusion Blossom won't cause any more havoc in Pokey Oaks or Sector V."

"Wow," she said after a moment. "You make that sound easy. Well, come on back so I can give you a reward."

As Nano Blossom floated around my head, I couldn't help but wonder if the real Blossom was mildly disappointed because I had actually succeeded. I wondered how many people had failed before me.

I didn't have to climb back up the chains. The good thing about Nanos is that they contain the essence—and therefore the _powers_—of their true selves. So Nano Blossom had the strength and flight power of the real Blossom.

Nano Blossom grabbed my pinky finger and lifted me into the air with ease. I'm sure that her strength has limits, though. I doubt she could carry as much as the real Blossom. She set me down on the lawn.

"I'm tired," she said after a long yawn.

I held up my NanoCom and sucked her inside. I placed the device back on my hip as I walked over to Blossom.

She was already in a discussion with another Soldier. I did the respectable thing and waited patiently for her to finish and acknowledge me. I couldn't help but overhear this particular Soldier's mission: he would be traveling out of the suburbs and into the wild, where he was to try and locate another in the KND Jungle Outpost.

My insides burned with jealousy. Not only did this _other_ Level 2 Soldier get to go to better missions than me, but Blossom wasn't giving him any of the hostility I felt around her. In fact, she didn't seem to be rude to anybody else on base but me.

I had to wait for her to finish seven more conversations. Some of them didn't seem that urgent, if you ask me. Still, I stood in place and waited.

She pretended to notice me for the first time when she came over to talk to me. "Kyrie," she exclaimed. "It's about time you got back. Dexter sent you a message." She held up her NanoCom and pressed a few buttons.

My NanoCom beeped immediately as the message came through:

**I need you to collect some Fusion Matter samples for Professor Utonium. He is conducting a critical study, so please bring them to him right away. **

**-Dexter**

Blossom smiled at me, but there was no kindness behind it. "I guess you better get going, then. The Fusion Matter samples can be collected from Numbuh Two. Just tell him that you're on a mission from Dexter, and he should hand them over."

My body protested against her, but I didn't. I walked into the tree house and waited for the computer as it cleared me for entry. "Numbuh Two?" I asked as I walked through the base.

I was amazed at what they'd done. The Kids Next Door members were legendary; especially the original five. I don't think there's a Soldier alive who doesn't admire the Kids Next Door.

I made my way into their briefing room and stood in awe at the magnitude of technology and maps and plans that surrounded me. Never in the two weeks that I know of my life would I have thought that I'd ever stand inside the KND tree house.

"It's amazing, isn't it," said a boy behind me.

I jumped and spun around quickly to face him.

I couldn't see his eyes behind his goggles, but I could see his goofy smile and the brown bits of his hair that stuck out of his pilot hat. By the size of him and his famous shirt, tennis shoes, and pants, I knew I was in the presence of Numbuh Two.

"I built it all," he informed me, as if I wouldn't know. "Part of the reason why they recruited the team was because of my technology skills. I've even been to work with Dexter and Mandark to help create some of the weapons you Soldiers use."

If I could've stood there all day and listened to his stories, I would have. He was only telling me things that I already knew, but they sounded more interested coming from the mouth of a legend.

"So whatcha need," he asked as he pulled at the waistband of his brown corduroys.

I had almost forgotten what I had come here to do. It took me a moment to answer. "Dexter needs me to deliver Fusion Matter samples to Professor Utonium."

He smiled. "I was wondering when he would want those things. I collected those months ago, only for him to tell me to hold on to them for a later date. Can you believe it?" Large tennis rackets emerged from the device on his back and lifted him into the air. "I'll be right back," he told me before disappearing into a different room.

I wished that the other members of the KND were here. I was happy to meet Numbuh Two, but meeting the others would've been something—especially if I had been able to meet all of them at once.

"I'm back," cried Numbuh Two suddenly as he reentered the room. In his hands, he carried four jars of green Fusion Matter. "I have more if something happens to these, but try to be careful anyway, okay?" He placed them in a bag and handed it to me.

My arm brushed his as I took the bag out of his hands. I actually got to _touch_ a member of the Kids Next Door! Goosebumps prickled my skin as I thanked him and left the house.

"Oh, good," said Blossom as I walked outside. "Numbuh Two _did_ give the Fusion Matter to you. I'm glad he wasn't disagreeable. Professor Utonium can be found in Genius Grove. It's not too far from here. Take the north road that leads out of town and follow it for two miles. He's residing at Dexter's old house. If you use your NanoCom to contact him, I'm sure Dexter will tell give you the correct coordinate."

Was it so hard for _her_ to give me the correct coordinate? I nodded and shifted the bag higher onto my shoulder. The bag was zipped, so they were guaranteed not to fall out on my journey, but I was concerned about the possibility of the jars breaking. I doubted that Blossom would be so quick to forgive me if I failed a task as simple as being a delivery girl for the Professor.

Nano Blossom helped me down from the base and then went back into my NanoCom as I pulled it out. I paged Dexter. It took a while for me to get through to him—as a Guide, I'm sure he's busy with others.

"Dexter, here," he said professionally. He pushed his glasses up his nose in a way that reminded me of Percival.

"This is Kyrie Sims, sir," I told him in the best Solider voice I could muster. "I am on my way to deliver the Fusion Matter to Professor Utonium. Blossom told me to get the coordinates of your old house from you."

"She didn't give them to you herself?"

I didn't know what to say. I wanted to tell him about her rudeness to me since I'd gotten there, but I didn't want to get my superior in trouble. After all, as a Level 2 Soldier, it is not my place to complain.

I am to _obey_.

"Blossom was…occupied by other things." I couldn't help it—I had to tell him. "Is she always so…"

He let out a sigh. "I know she can seem rather…tough, but she's dedicated to the cause. Blossom's sister Buttercup went missing not too long ago, so she has a personal interest in missing superheroes. It's a touchy subject. Blossom knows what she's doing. Without her, the suburbs would have fallen to Fuse a long time ago. Just do as she asks. Once she knows what you can do, she'll warm up to you."

That wouldn't necessarily make my job easier, but it would be appreciated. I wished I'd known earlier that Blossom's sister was one of the missing superheroes. Guilt racked through me, even though I knew it wasn't my fault that Buttercup was missing.

"I'll send you the coordinates to the place of my residency. Good luck." Dexter's face disappeared from my NanoCom.

Moments later, my NanoCom beeped, and the GPS activated. I followed the arrow it used to illustrate the path I needed to take in order to reach my destination. I was so focused on my NanoCom that I almost ran into somebody.

"I'm so sorry," I said quickly as I adjusted the bag on my shoulder. Words left me when I realized who I was talking to.

Numbuh Five of the Kids Next Door.

She glanced down at me from underneath her signature hat and gave me a shrug. "No problem. You didn't cause Numbuh Five no trouble." Her eyes moved to my NanoCom. "You a Soldier?"

"Yes…ma'am," I said cautiously, still not sure of what I should say to her.

"Call me Numbuh Five. You lookin' for someone?"

"Yes, actually. I was sent by Dexter to deliver these Fusion Matter samples to Professor Utonium."

"Oh, the Professor," she said calmly. She jerked her thumb in the direction of the house behind her. "He's out back. Numbuh Five'll take you to him." Her long braid almost hit me in the face as she spun around.

I followed her through the gate and into the backyard of the house she's indicated. It was a fairly normal-sized house—at least for these standards nowadays. Someone was obviously taking care of it. I could tell because the grass had been freshly cut and the outside of the house had been kept clean.

A tall girl with blonde pigtails danced around the yard in a glorious pink ballerina outfit. I wished I had her confidence—there aren't many people who would dance around like that in broad daylight. She stopped and smiled at me when I came into her sight. "Who's this," she asked Numbuh Five.

I realized that I'd never given my name to Numbuh Five. "I'm Kyrie Sims," I told both of them. "Level 2 Soldier."

"I'm Dee Dee," she told me.

"Kyrie Sims," cried a man as he approached me. He straightened his lab coat and extended a hand. "I've heard of you. Blossom has told me great things about you. I'm Professor Utonium."

I could feel my eyes light up in relief. "I have the Fusion Matter samples you requested from Dexter." I handed him the bag carefully and waited as he checked the contents inside.

He smiled at me. Despite his age, his smile made him look rather handsome. "Thanks for these samples! They will really help me in my research."

I wanted to ask him what he was working on, but it not my place to ask such things. I am supposed to be satisfied with the information that is given to me—nothing more. Still, I can't help but be curious about his project.

Professor Utonium smiled as if he had guessed my curiosity. "I'm sure Dexter or Blossom will tell you about my project soon enough. For now, let's worry about getting you back to the KND base." He motioned for me to follow him further into the house.

Dexter's house wasn't what I had been expecting at all. It looked…normal. It was no secret that Dexter was a boy genius. I guess I had expected his house to look…like that of a boy genius' house. I saw little—_no_ experiments. Everything was in top-shape.

"Dexter has been working on perfecting this method," said Professor Utonium as he led me to the other side of the kitchen. "I think it works well enough for use now."

Great. So I'm, like, the test subject. I stood at the edge of the doorway. "How does it work, exactly?"

"You step through and visualize the place you want to go. Remain focused, though. A minor slip in concentration could result in a major consequence on both sides," he warned.

Focus. Got it. It's either that or risk being blown to bits—or worse. I imagined the KND base, the tree house, Numbuh Two, and Blossom. With a deep breath—and a solid grip on my images—I took one step forward.

I knew it worked when I opened my eyes and saw Blossom standing in front of me with her arms crossed. "Well," she said as if she expected me to say something to her. "I see the jars are gone. Did you complete the mission?"

She didn't fool me. I knew now that she admired me—the Professor had said so himself. "Of course," I told her evenly. "Is there another mission you'd like to send me on?"

The question surprised her. She glanced around, as if she was going to ask someone for help. "I don't have anything for you at the moment," she told me with a smile. I couldn't determine her emotion from her face. "Are you getting tired?"

"The only thing I'm getting tired of is you sending me on these delivery girl missions."

She was _definitely_ surprised at that. "Excuse me?"

"I can _do_ things, Blossom—you _know_ I can. Yet you've been giving me these simple, Level 1 missions instead." I wouldn't normally call defeating a Fusion "simple", but in this case…

"You may have pulled off a few lucky tricks in training, but this is the _real_ world. I can't assume that the skills you may have developed in there will make it out here. I can't even assume that _you_ will make it out here. I don't care who you are. Until_ I_ say you're ready, I will continue to give you those 'simple, Level 1 missions'."

"And when is that? Haven't I proven myself to you already? I took down _your _Fusion _by myself_—in case you forgot, you didn't assign me a team like others would have. _That_ should've been proof enough."

"You think taking down _one_ Fusion is going to make a difference? There are _millions_ out there. And if this is all about how many Fusions you can take down, then I'm gonna have to question your dedication to this cause."

My temper flared. I had to remember that, even though I was angry, I needed to be careful about what I said. "I may not have the same _connection_ that you do to the cause, but it doesn't make me any less dedicated. You're not the only one who's in this for _personal_ reasons."

She stared at me. I guess it must've never occurred to her that I didn't just choose to be here because it sounded "cool".

"I'm sorry for your sister, Blossom, but I didn't do it. Instead of taking it out on me, why don't you _help_ me? If we worked together, we could get _that_ much closer to finding her. I'll do whatever you ask."

And with that, I retired underground. Though the base floats above the surface, Soldiers live in the fort _under_ the surface. My hands shook as I pulled the covers up to my chin. Somehow, I didn't expect to be back here again. Or, if Blossom _did_ decide to keep me here, I'd see this place for the rest of my life.

Still, if what I said to her will keep her from treating any other future Soldiers that way, then it might be worth it. Those Soldiers will get to go on, complete missions, and defeat Fuse.

When I woke up, the room was dark. I don't know what I expected, really—we _were_ underground. I had a hard time finding my way in the dark, but I managed to escape the room without too many bumps.

I found my way to the cafeteria and received my daily breakfast pill. We save real food for those who aren't involved in the cause. Soldiers get pills. They give us the exact nutrients we need—everything we could ask for, minus the taste of good food. I swallowed it after taking a gulp of water from the fountain and then continued to the elevator.

To my surprise, Blossom was getting off of the one I needed to get on. "Get in," she told me with a blank face.

I did as she asked, just as I had promised.

She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "You did a nice job at Pokey Oaks and with the Professor. You really helped us out."

"Thank you," I said cautiously.

"I want to apologize. I haven't been treating you fairly."

"No, Blossom, I—"

"You were right. And though I don't agree with the _way_ you told me what you did, I realize that I needed it. No one else would've told me that." She locked eyes with me. "Are you ready for a real mission?"

"Yes," I told her immediately.

The elevator stopped at the top and we stepped out into the sunlight. Blossom pulled out her NanoCom and said to me, "Edd found an alien device called a Power Level Tracker. I've got a picture. Dexter thinks we might be able to use it to locate the world's missing super heroes."

"You want me to retrieve it?"

"Yes." She glanced down at me. "Listen, you can't be walking around in that clunky outfit. It'll get you killed. Take these. It comes straight from Dexlabs." She placed a cube into the palm of my hand.

Dexter sent clothes for me? I pressed a button and dropped it onto the ground as it began to whir and cackle. Blossom indicated for me to stand on top of it; I did as she asked. After a flash of light and a tingly feeling in my toes, the change was over.

If my memory served me correctly, I was wearing the official prototype of the Dodgeball Exosuit. The Dodgeball Exosuit was a _huge_ accomplishment in the sense of fashion _and_ weaponry. It was light enough to travel in, but also sturdy enough for fights. The gloves on my hands could also be used as an electrical discharge weapon in times of emergency.

"Your NanoCom has been updated with the proper information you'll need for this mission. Good luck." She waved me away with a flourish of her hands and went back to attending to her own job.

I was happy to go on this job. Was it another delivery mission? Yes. But I realized that Blossom was allowing me to go further than the neighborhood over. I was also excited because Edd had been the name of Mikka's Guide. I could possibly get a chance to see her. I didn't make it to the new neighborhood until the afternoon sun was over my head.

If my NanoCom hadn't told me that I was at the right place, I probably would've turned around. I was surprised by the sight of a giant box fort. This assortment of packages had to be over a hundred feet tall. The doors itself was actually made up of two giant planks of wood with angry faces drawn on them.

Two Soldiers stopped me at the doors and scanned my body for any Fusion Matter. Once I had been decontaminated, I was allowed inside.

Cardboard signs directed me to the middle of the cul-de-sac, instructing me that I was to "worship King Eddy". I found a boy sitting atop a throne of cardboard boxes. He had a lazy smile and three strands of his black hair stood up on the top of his head.

"Are you King Eddy," I asked as I sank to my knees. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to be acting around him, but if I wanted to complete my missions, I'd have to follow his rules.

He spit out the candy he'd been sucking on and raised his hands behind his head. "Sure am. What can I do you for?"

"Is there someone in your cul—kingdom named Edd?"

"Which one," he asked me as he popped a jawbreaker into his mouth.

"Um…Blossom didn't say that there was more than one."

He groaned. "Blossom? You're looking for Sockhead, then."

"Can I see him, then?"

"I like you," he said with another lazy smile. "I'll let you see him if you do some more groveling."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm the ruler of this here Cul-de-Sac, so if you want something, you gotta please me!"

"Honestly, Eddy," said the boy that I recognized as Edd. He joined Eddy up on the throne. "That's enough of the act!" It was strange to see his face, considering I hadn't seen it at all when he had proposed himself as a Guide.

"Aw, lighten up, Double D. I was just teasin' with her! She's fine."

Edd looked down at me and hesitated before he stepped down and offered his hand to me. "Welcome to our illustrious Cul-de-Sac! How do you like our cardboard castle?"

"It's intriguing," I told him honestly.

Eddy slapped his hand down on Edd's shoulder. "Edd's cardboard fortress keeps the monsters out and the profit in!"

"You built this," I asked Edd.

"That I did, ma'am. For some reason, the boxes absorb Fusion Matter and help to keep the monsters away from us."

"That's amazing."

As his face shone with his blush, I took a moment to admire him. He was quite cute, actually. Though most of his hair was covered with a black cap, I could see that he had his hair braided to his shoulders. He wore clothes that were casual, but also sort of preppy. They looked good on him, though.

"You said that Blossom sent you for something," he asked me, distracting me from my thoughts. "What does she need?"

I held up the picture of the weapon on my NanoCom. "She said that you discovered something called the Power Level Tracker. I was sent to retrieve it for Dexter."

His fingers brushed mine as he took the NanoCom from my hand. "Yes, I did indeed find a gizmo that resembles this picture. But some monsters stole it and disappeared into the park nearby. If Dexter wants it, you'll have to get it back."


	4. Chapter Three

Edd told me that a couple of Fusion Spawns had taken the Power Level Tracker into the neighborhood across the street three days ago. "We tried sending troops in to retrieve it, but none of them were successful in finding their lair."

"I'll find it," I promised.

"It's good to have confidence," he told me with a sweet smile. "It might actually help you find it."

I smiled back at him.

Edd cleared his throat and handed me my NanoCom back. "Here you go. I've, uh, added your channel to mine so that I can monitor you on your journey." His face turned a bright red. "If that's all right with you, of course."

"Of course," I told him. Our fingers brushed again as my NanoCom exchanged hands. I tried to ignore it. "I'll bring back the weapon to confirm it with you before I head back to Blossom." I left the Cul-de-Sac and headed across the street to the place that Edd had specified.

The weird part was how _normal_ everything seemed. I didn't see _any_ signs of Fusion Spawns—and based on my experience, Fusions aren't the neatest creatures. None of the trailers had been broken into, the asphalt hadn't been torn up, and the sound of birds could still be heard in the air.

I stepped around tentatively. It wasn't until I got to the giant wooden hamburger in the middle of the trailer park that I called Edd.

"Double D on the line," he said with a smile in his voice. "Have you found anything?"

"Um," I said, not sure how I should tell him about my findings. "The neighborhood seems to be okay, but is there supposed to be a giant ham—"

A girl with curly red hair dropped down on me suddenly and knocked my NanoCom from my hands. She raised her foot to crunch it underneath her heel.

I lunged forward and tackled her to the ground. We struggled to see who would come out on top for a moment, until she managed to pin me underneath her. That was when I realized that she wasn't alone. Another girl picked up my NanoCom.

Just when I thought that that would be the end of my little device, she spoke into it: "Why, is that my cute little Sockhead?"

"Marie," he asked, obviously shocked. "Where's Kyrie?"

"Oh, is _that_ who this is," asked Marie as she peered at me from her curtain of blue hair. Her green eyes searched over me. "Kyrie, is it? Did you send her to spy on me?" She twirled a strand of her hair around her finger.

"Marie, please give Kyrie her NanoCom back."

"I _might_," she drooled, "if you promise to come and see me."

The redhead on top of me made smooch sounds with her lips.

I pushed myself up, forcing the redhead to fall over. In one fell swoop of my hands, I managed to grab my NanoCom from Marie. "Thank you," I said as I strapped my NanoCom back in place.

"Hey, I wasn't done with that," cried Marie.

"You are now," I told her evenly. If she wanted to have my NanoCom, she'd have to try and take it from me—fairly, this time.

"All right, all right," said the redhead as she dusted herself off. "Let's all just take a step back and start over. I'm Lee, this is my sister Marie."

Marie stood by her sister and crossed her arms. "We're the Kanker Sisters!"

What an unfortunate name. "Kyrie," I said stiffly. I still didn't trust them.

"Mind tellin' us what you were doin' on our turf," said Lee as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I was looking for a weapon that some Fusion Spawns might've taken over here. You haven't seen any with something out of place like that have you?"

Marie shook her head. "We've been too busy with our Trojan Hamburger to really notice anything else."

"Trojan Hamburger," I asked, though I instantly regretted it.

"As you can see, those Eds aren't so keen on letting us inside their Cul-de-Sac."

"Think they're too good for us, ya know," said Lee.

"Well, we've been making this Trojan Hamburger so that we can get inside. Those Eds will fall for anything—especially if it has to do with junk food."

Somehow I suspect that the Eds are smarter than that. Still, I didn't say anything, because I still needed information from them. "So you haven't seen anything strange at all? There's been no Fusion trouble?"

"Well," said Marie as she looked at her sister. "There _was_ this one girl who just moved in. She's pretty weird."

"Did she have a weapon that looked like this?" I held my NanoCom close enough for her to see the picture, but far enough so that it was out of her reach.

"I don't remember if it looked like _that_, but she did have _something_ with her yesterday."

"Can you take me to her hideout?"

Marie shrugged and led me away, leaving her sister to work on the Trojan Hamburger. I obviously hadn't looked through the entire trailer park. Further down, there were _plenty_ of trailers with broken windows and doors, and the birds had _long_ since stopped singing. Finally, Marie stopped.

"The girl is just inside there. Watch out, she's a weirdo."

Behind the trailer was a large hole in the ground. Judging from the Fusion Matter that lay around the mouth, I would've bet anything that the girl was a Fusion Spawn who'd dug it. I ushered Marie behind a trailer in the distance and picked up a rock.

"Kyrie," said my NanoCom. "It's Double D. Are you there?"

"Yes," I told him. "Marie has given me a great lead. I believe there is a girl here who has what we're looking for." I turned my NanoCom to the hole as I tossed the rock down.

As I had expected, the Fusion Spawn emerged from the hole, obviously angered. The weapon that was attached to her was the same weapon I had a picture of.

"That's no girl!" cried Edd as the Fusion Spawn turned to face us. I would've recognized her anywhere.

I'd just fought her.

"That's Fusion Blossom!"

I strapped my NanoCom back onto me and raised my lightning gun. Just in time, I managed to duck out of the way as she sent a ball of Fusion Matter hurtling toward me from her fingertips.

She seemed slower this time, tired. If I had to bet, I'd say that she was still resting from the fight she'd lost to me yesterday.

This would be _much_ easier, then.

I hid behind the trailer and waited patiently for her to come and try to find me. Fusion Spawns aren't known for waiting for their enemy. You can _always_ count on that.

I raised my gun until it was at eye-level. If she was truly a copy of Blossom, then she would be the exact same height. And after spending some time with Blossom…

I pulled the trigger before the rest of her body could follow her head. The bullet sank through her forehead in the same way that she sank to the ground. I stepped over her and grabbed the weapon as she dissolved into nothingness, waiting to be reincarnated a second time.

"Wow," said Marie, sounding impressed. "That girl was actually a monster! Who knew?"

"Kyrie," said my NanoCom. "Kyrie, are you all right?"

"I'm all right," I told Edd. "I have the weapon, and Fusion Blossom is gone."

"Oh, thank goodness! Please get out of there and come see me."

"Kyrie, wait," said Marie suddenly as I turned to leave. She handed me a pair of scissors. "These are Sockhead's. Maybe you can see if a peace offering can be negotiated over this."

I said goodbye to Marie, thanked her for her help, and managed to lose her so that she didn't follow me back to the Cul-de-Sac. When I got back, Edd seemed relieved to see me.

"I'm glad to see that you are safe," he told me.

I found myself smiling again. In an effort to distract him from my reaction, I handed him the weapon.

"Yes, this is the alien device that I found. Eddy wanted to sell it," he said, as if remembering the day. "I have no idea how it works." He gave it back to me. "You should take it. Maybe Dexter can fix it."

"Thanks," I told him. "Oh, before I forget. Marie said these were yours." I handed him the scissors.

"My scissors!" he exclaimed. "Oh, thank you, Kyrie. I've needed these to finish my Thingamajig."

"Thingamajig?" I asked.

"Yes," he told me. "Come, follow me." Edd grabbed my wrist and led me a house—his house, I assumed. His house was set up almost exactly the way Dexter's had been. Any papers that were out were simply scattered over the tables. Otherwise, the floor was spotless.

"I apologize for the mess," said Edd as he dropped my wrist and walked me into the kitchen.

"On the contrary," I told him, "I think your house is very clean considering the circumstances."

He smiled at me and pulled out a…thingamajig. I think it was supposed to resemble some type of weapon. Or maybe it was supposed to resemble a tracker. Or maybe it was a hat.

"I'm not sure what it's going to do yet," he said as he used the scissors to cut off a few pieces. "But I can assure you that it will do it better than anything else!" Edd glanced at me from the corner of his eyes as I sat down beside him. "So, Kyrie, may I inquire where you're from?"

"Sector V," I told him, trying to avoid the question.

It didn't work. He laughed and then said, "I'm afraid I meant where you came from _before_ you became a Soldier."

I tried to keep a smile on my face, but I couldn't manage one. "I'm not sure, actually. I woke up in the infirmary of Null Void without any memories. I'm hoping that my work with missing heroes can lead me to some answers."

"I'm terribly sorry, Kyrie," said Edd. "I wouldn't have brought it up had I known…"

"I know you wouldn't have," I told him with a smile as I placed my hand on top of his. I looked away from him and removed my hand. "So, is it finished?"

"Y-Yes, it is!" He stepped back to admire it. "My Thingamajig…"

"I can't wait to see what it does one day."

"Thanks for recovering my scissors. I could not have built this Thingamajig without you."

"Thank Marie," I told him. "She's the one who gave them to me for you. She really wants this to be a peace offering between you guys."

He let out a small groan. "No one really wants them around here. They're notorious for stealing from others and making a mess of things that have already been planned." I sensed that he was also uncomfortable letting them in because of the obvious crush she had on him.

"She really likes you, doesn't she?"

"I'm afraid she does," he said as he pulled down on his hat.

"You don't like her in return?" I wasn't sure where the question had come from, but it was out there now.

Edd smiled at me and shook his head. "I can't quite say that I do."

I looked away from him, embarrassed because I had asked the question in the first place. "Well, thank you, Edd, for helping me locate the Power Level Tracker."

He stood up and smoothed down his shirt. "Of course," he said. "Thanks for the help with my Thingamajig again."

"Anytime," I told him. There was a moment of silence between us that made me feel awkward. I cleared my throat and then walked toward the door. "I guess I'll be seeing you around, then. Good luck with your findings."

"Yes and good luck to you on your journey."

I nodded and walked out.

"Wait," he cried suddenly as he followed me out. "D-Do you have the correct means of transportation to get back to your destination?"

"Well, I'll be walking," I told him, not sure where he was going with this.

He reached into his pocket and pressed a button on the device that he pulled out. Edd tossed the device to the ground beside us and took a step back. "This is one of our latest prototypes from Dexlabs."

Again, with the prototypes! I'm starting to feel like a test monkey.

From the device, a hover board appeared. In the middle, where my feet were supposed to go, was the Dexlabs symbol.

"It's got a 750-speed class, has a flight pattern of 400, and it can convert into a moped if you desire it." He showed me the proper way to convert the hover board. "I can sync it with your NanoCom so that you can input designations and have conversations through it while you travel." He did just as he had said and synced my NanoCom with my vehicle.

"Thank you, Edd," I told him as I hugged him goodbye. It was a brief hug—mainly because I was surprised that I had initiated it in the first place.

"You're welcome," he replied softly.

I converted the vehicle back into a hover board and stepped on. There were no straps to hold my feet, but I didn't feel off-balanced in any way.

"Try not to bump into anything," Edd warned me. "Your vehicle has great shocks, but it can't withstand everything. You'll fall off if you bump too hard into something."

"Thanks for the tips. Oh," I cried as I remembered something. "I didn't get a chance to see Mikka Thomas while I was out here. She's one of the Soldiers underneath your Guide. If you see her, can you tell her that I stopped by and said hello?"

"Of course," he said with a large smile. "Kyrie…I'll see you around?"

"Yes," I told him. "You will." I started up the hover board and flew over the Cul-de-Sac wall. It would have taken me hours to get back to the KND Base—and as it was, the sun had already begun to set—but the hover board brought me back in less than five minutes.

It didn't take me long to figure out how to control the hover board. I even managed to land in front of Blossom safely.

She finished her business with the other Soldiers—who ogled at my hover board—and then turned to me. "Did Edd have the device?"

"Yes," I told her. "I had a small run-in with Fusion Blossom again. Apparently, she'd stolen the device from Edd."

"Well, it's a good thing you managed to retrieve it." She turned the weapon over in her hands. "It seems damaged."

"Edd thinks that Dexter might be able to fix it. He also said that he doesn't know what it does, but he hopes that it'll help us on our mission."

"It will. Thank you. I'll let Dexter know that you've retrieved this and have him send you on a different mission tomorrow. Expect a message from him in the morning."

I nodded my head and turned to go back underground. "Goodnight."

"Kyrie," said Blossom suddenly as my elevator reached my level. "I just want to thank you for all of your help. You've come a long way since when I first met you. I'll let Dexter know that I think you're ready for a critical mission. No more delivery girl."

I smiled at her. "Thank you."

"Thank Dexter. He's the one who thought I should give you a chance. He speaks very highly of you." Her eyes tightened ever so slightly at her last words.

"He speaks even higher of you," I told her, which wasn't a lie. Everything he'd told me, he'd told me in regards of Blossom's feelings. I know everyone here is supposed to be friendly with each other, but I sense that they have a…deeper relationship.

I stepped into the elevator, rode it down, ate dinner, and then turned myself in. I don't usually dream.

This time I did.

_I made my way through the forest of green trees and found the clearing that I had so often slipped away to. I looked back to see if anyone had followed me and saw that I was alone. I'm used to being alone out here. _

_It's better to be alone out here. _

My dream ended as abruptly as it had started. I sat up with beads of sweat running down my face. I was glad that I hadn't cried out or alerted the other Soldiers in any way. It would've been embarrassing to have to explain myself to anyone.

I wiped the sweat off of my face and turned on my NanoCom. Dexter had sent me another message.

**I would've sent this message through Blossom, but I fear that I do not want her to know of this yet. That is why I'm asking you this through your personal NanoCom.**

**Is it safe for me to assume that Blossom hasn't mentioned the disappearance of her sister, Buttercup? (I still wonder if Buttercup's fate is somehow related to the disappearances of the other heroes.) You should go ask Blossom about it. Be gentle: she's still very emotional.**

**If anyone can get the details out of her, you can. Good luck.**

**-Dexter**

And there it was: my next mission. I took my breakfast pill and then made my way upstairs. I didn't know how to ask Blossom about her sister—at least not in a way that would make her sad.

I decided that no matter how I asked it, the memory of her sister's disappearance would make her upset anyway. I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Kyrie," she said with a smile. I relished it, knowing that I would end up being the one who wiped it off. "Did Dexter send you your next mission?"

I pulled her inside of the house so that no one would bother us. "Blossom," I said slowly, not sure how to start off my question. I went for it. "I know that Buttercup disappeared, and that's why you lead this cause."

Her face was as hard to read as a stone wall.

"I really want to help to find the other missing heroes, but I think there might be some kind of connection between Buttercup's disappearance and the others. Would you mind…telling me what happened to her?"

At first, I thought she wasn't going to tell me. Then, she took a deep breath and said, "Not too long ago, Buttercup disappeared after a fight with Mojo." She looked like she was about to say more, but nostalgia took over. Moist filled her eyes. "I think you should ask the Professor about it. It's just too painful for me. Would you do that?"

"Of course," I said, sorry that I had asked. Of course, I didn't want to make the Professor sad either. I went through the doorway after Blossom had arranged the settings to Genius Grove again.

"Kyrie," cried Numbuh Five with a smile. "You come back to see me?"

"Not this time, I'm afraid. Is the Professor here?"

"He out back," she said with a jerk of her thumb before she returned to reading her book.

I thanked her and found the Professor outside with his nose in his own book. I wondered where Dee Dee was, but decided that I would ask another time. "Professor?"

He looked up and smiled. Why does everyone have to smile before I give them bad news? "Oh, Kyrie, what a pleasant surprise!"

"I'm afraid it won't be in a moment," I said as I stepped forward.

"What do you mean?"

"I was sent to ask you about the disappearance of Buttercup."

Sure enough, his face seemed to crumple. He didn't cry, though. He managed to answer me. "Ahh…my Buttercup. Forgive me; I am still trying to cope with this loss. It would be easier if we knew more than she disappeared after her battle with Mojo Jojo. I am surprised Blossom mentioned it to you. She never talks about it with me." He seemed to drift off for a moment.

"That reminds me," he said as he snapped his attention back to me. "I'm wondering if you would do me a favor."

"Anything, sir," I told him, happy to discuss something other than Buttercup for a moment.

He disappeared inside for a moment and then returned with a book in his hands. "You know, this scrapbook should really go to Blossom. Will you bring it to her? Also, tell her that I want to have a picnic with her and Bubbles. I think we could all use a little pick-me-up."

I nodded and took the cherished book in my hands. "Thank you for this. I'll do everything in my power to find her."

He smiled, looking handsome again. "I know you will. Thank you for your help, Kyrie. I think you're just what my family needs to get through the healing of it all. We never had anyone talk about it, but I think that now that it's been mentioned…we can get through it."

"Of course you will." I left him to his studies and returned inside. Numbuh Five made me promise to come and visit her or just call her up if I needed a partner for a mission before she sent me back to Base.

Blossom was still in the house. It was obvious that she hadn't left yet and that she had been crying. "Oh, Kyrie," she said, obviously surprised. "I didn't expect you back yet."

I put down the scrapbook and hugged her. It was unexpected on both of our parts, but she returned the hug warmly. "I'm so sorry, Blossom."

"No, don't be. It's just…I think I've been pushing it away for so long that I don't know how to handle it when it's brought up. I joined this cause because I wanted to help find her, but I can't help anyone find her if I don't give them anything to look for." She wiped her eyes. "What did the Professor say?"

"He didn't know any more than you did."

"Oh…"

I picked up the scrapbook and handed it to her. "He did want you to have this, though."

I could tell that she recognized the book. "Is this one of Buttercup's scrapbooks?"

I nodded.

"I don't know if I'm ready to read it, but I am grateful to have it. Let me know if you learn more about her disappearance."

"I'll do better than that," I promised her. "I'll find her."


End file.
